Director, AI Ecosystem Partnerships - (AI Factories)

Make an impact with NTT DATA. Join a company that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible. We are renowned for our technical excellence and leading innovations, and for making a difference to our clients and society. Our workplace embraces diversity and inclusion – it’s a place where you can grow, belong and thrive.

Your day at NTT DATA

• External ecosystem management
  • Own relationships with strategic technology partners including Dell, Cisco, NVIDIA, Red Hat, Mistral AI, Alexara AI, SiPearl and emerging sovereign AI vendors.
  • Coordinate joint account planning sessions with partners, targeting 5 to 8 mutual accounts per country to generate qualified pipeline opportunities.
  • Negotiate and manage partner commitments including co-investment, co-selling, technical resources and reference support for major pursuits.
  • Track partner pipeline contributions, conversion rates and ROI to inform ecosystem investment decisions.
  • Ensure partner technical resources are engaged early in opportunity qualification and solution design.
  • Manage partner MOU execution and ongoing compliance with partnership terms.
  • Identify and onboard new ecosystem partners to address capability gaps or market requirements (for example, European content compliance for EuroHPC).
• Internal ecosystem coordination
  • Serve as primary liaison between AI Factories team and internal practice groups: Cloud and Security, Data and AI, Tech Hub, Infrastructure Services.
  • Coordinate internal resource allocation for major pursuits, ensuring appropriate skills are available when needed.
  • Facilitate cross-practice collaboration on complex, multi-domain opportunities.
  • Maintain internal stakeholder relationships to ensure AI Factories priorities are understood and supported.
  • Work with regional sales teams to identify and qualify AI Factories opportunities in their accounts.
  • Coordinate with bid management and legal teams on partner-related contract terms and consortium arrangements.
• Alliance activation and AI Factories championship
  • Partner with existing alliance managers and specialists to position AI Factories within broader partner relationships.
  • Champion the AI Factories proposition across all partner interactions, ensuring consistent messaging and value articulation.
  • Coordinate partner participation in customer events, demonstrations and proof-of-concept activities at the Munich Innovation Centre.
  • Support EuroHPC and sovereign AI pursuits with partner evidence, references and technical validation.
  • Ensure EU content compliance requirements are addressed through appropriate European supplier partnerships.
  • Drive joint marketing activities and thought leadership with strategic partners.
  • Represent AI Factories at partner events, industry conferences and ecosystem forums.
• Governance and reporting
  • Maintain ecosystem partnership tracker with status, commitments and outcomes for all active relationships.
  • Provide regular reporting on partner contribution to pipeline, wins and strategic initiatives.
  • Escalate partnership risks or blockers to AI Factories leadership with recommended actions.
  • Participate in weekly AI Factories leadership meetings and monthly partner review sessions.

Essential Experience

• Minimum 8 years in technology partnership management, alliance development or ecosystem coordination roles.
• Proven track record of managing relationships with major technology vendors (experience with Dell, Cisco, NVIDIA or similar preferred).
• Experience coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across organisational boundaries.
• Background in enterprise infrastructure, cloud or AI/ML markets.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority across partner organisations and internal teams.
• Experience supporting large deal pursuits or public sector procurements.

Essential Skills

• Strong relationship management and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
• Commercial acumen with ability to structure and negotiate partnership terms.
• Excellent communication skills for executive-level partner and internal stakeholder interactions.
• Project coordination skills to manage multiple parallel partner engagements.
• Strategic thinking to identify ecosystem opportunities and optimisation potential.
• Attention to detail for tracking commitments, timelines and deliverables.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with EuroHPC, sovereign AI or government/public sector technology programmes.
• Understanding of AI Factories, HPC infrastructure or data centre technologies.
• Knowledge of EU data sovereignty requirements, GDPR and AI Act implications.
• Multi-language capability (German, Italian or French advantageous for European markets).
• Existing relationships within Dell, Cisco, NVIDIA or similar partner organisations.
• Experience with consortium-based bidding or multi-party contract structures.

What success looks like

• Within 90 days
  • Completed relationship mapping of all strategic partners with clear engagement plans.
  • Established regular cadence with internal practice leads and regional teams.
  • First joint account planning sessions completed with Dell and Cisco.
  • Partnership tracker operational with baseline metrics established.
• Within 12 months
  • Partner-influenced pipeline of EUR100M or greater across AI Factories opportunities.
  • Minimum three partner co-investment commitments secured for major pursuits.
  • EU content compliance partnerships established supporting EuroHPC scoring requirements.
  • Internal AI Factories awareness achieved across all priority regions.
  • Partner contribution to at least two successful wins documented.

Location and travel

• Primary location: Flexible within Europe (Munich, London or Frankfurt preferred for partner proximity).
• Hybrid working arrangement with regular office presence for team collaboration.
• Travel requirement: 30 to 40% across Europe and Middle East for partner meetings, customer engagements and events.
• Occasional international travel to partner headquarters and industry conferences.

Workplace type

• Remote Working.

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA is a $30+ billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We are committed to accelerating client success and positively impacting society through responsible innovation. We are one of the world’s leading AI and digital infrastructure providers, with unmatched capabilities in enterprise-scale AI, cloud, security, connectivity, data centers and application services. Our consulting and industry solutions help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 50 countries. We also offer clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centers as well as established and start‑up partners. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in R&D.

Equal Opportunity Employer

NTT DATA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer with a global culture that embraces diversity. We are committed to providing an environment free of unfair discrimination and harassment. We do not discriminate based on age, race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, disability, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected category. Join our growing global team and accelerate your career with us.